Free
radicals and antioxidants anti aging properties, oxidative damage
Free
radical oxidation leading cause of aging
Oxidative
damage to cells is thought to be a causative factor
in disease and aging. Aside from trauma, the process of
death, at the cell level, is oxidation. The death of cells is
caused by an invading molecule called a "free radical"
which
invades cells causing their death. These invading free
radicals are part of our environment, that puff of cigarette
smoke, the chemical preservatives in our foods, and water,
anything that is foreign to the body can, potentially, become
a free radical. Free radicals also could be formed in our
body including our skin whenever immune- system becomes
active for exmaple during infections or inflammationsHowever,
in roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans), blocking the
production of the naturally occurring antioxidant superoxide
dismutase has recently been shown to increase lifespan[1].
These
are atoms or molecules with an unpaired electron. A
molecule is stable and harmless when the electrons are in
pairs. If single, they are unstable and can potentially do
damage. When an electron is taken from another molecule
it becomes unstable and the attacking molecule becomes
stable. This process damages cell structures. Free radicals
are naturally occurring and an important part of biological
functions such as immunity, inflammation, growth and repair.
Free radicals can have negative effects when they damage
proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. They are normally held in
balance in biological systems by antioxidant defense
mechanisms. Environmental insults, infections, smoking,
radiation and sunlight can also cause the formation of free
radicals.
Free
radicals also increase production of vital hormones or
chemical messengers like prostaglandins and cytokines. It
can be seen that we need free radicals to maintain health. It
is the overproduction of these free radicals that is a problem.
Results have demonstrated that the overexpression of catalase,
an enzyme involved in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide,
increased both the average lifespan and maximum lifespan of
mice by 20%[2].
